Sloan-McIntosh, who grew up in Toronto, drew from her family's Irish and English background, her 30 years as a food writer and magazine editor, and her restaurant experience. She and her husband Ted McIntosh operate Bayfield's Black Dog Village Pub & Bistro, now in its seventh year.

"People just think of carbohydrates when they think of potatoes. But there’s a lot more to them than that," Sloan-McIntosh said.

They’re a source of protein, can provide half of the daily requirement of vitamin C and contain B vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates.

"It's not a powerhouse vegetable," she said. "I would certainly say it’s a backbone of the vegetable world in terms of nutrition."

Still, the potato gets a fat rap, because it is associated with frying and is made and served with ingredients like creams and cheeses.

Sloan-McIntosh encourages cooks to experiment, shop for locally grown varieties, talk with vendors and plant the easy-to-grow vegetable in their gardens.

This time of year, she recommends the popular Yukon Gold potatoes developed at the University of Guelph as a kind of all-purpose potato.

"You can bake it. You can mash it. You can fry it. You can do it in gratins."

People love the yellow flesh because it looks like it has being buttered even before the butter is added, Sloan-McIntosh said.

The approach of St. Patrick’s Day is a reminder of traditional Irish uses of potatoes for soups, soda bread and lamb.

"Every culture does something with potatoes for the most part, so that wasn’t difficult," Sloan-McIntosh said.

"There isn't one culture that doesn’t do something wonderful with potatoes. It's fun to jump out of your own and into another one, if you will. And try something different, like potato gnocchi."

Her book points to a potato for each purpose. Floury potatoes, like russet and Yukon Golds, mash well because they're older with less water content.

The starch content hasn’t built up in new potatoes, so enjoy them boiled, steamed or in the microwave, she said.

For longer, better storage put potatoes in a dark, cool place. Transfer them from a plastic grocery bag to a paper or burlap bag. Remove soft ones, and keep potatoes separate from onions and apples which emit a gas that encourages spuds to spoil.

RECIPE

Dark chocolate & orange potato cheesecake

This dessert makes 10 to 12 servings and can use up a small amount of leftover potatoes.

Sloan-McIntosh said the cheesecake is full of flavour, super moist and holds together with the potatoes and doesn't seem to crack. Rich, dark and chocolatey, the cheesecake boasts bittersweet chocolate in the filling and a base of chocolate cookie crumbs.

To echo the orange element in the filling, serve with a scoop of orange gelato.

For chocolate crust:

3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 cup butter, melted

For filling:

2 packages cream cheese, each 8 oz.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups cooled dry-mashed potatoes

3 eggs

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled

1 tbsp. orange zest, finely chopped

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To make chocolate crust: In a bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, cinnamon and melted butter until crumbs are completely moistened. Press over bottom and halfway up the sides of a nine-inch springform pan. Centre pan on a large sheet of foil, then gather foil and wrap around base and sides. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, leaving foil intact. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F.

Filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Beat in mashed potatoes until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, orange zest and orange juice until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, scrape into chocolate crust.

Place springform pan in roasting pan. Pull out centre oven rack and set roasting pan on rack. Pour enough very hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Return rack to preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes or until filling is set around edges but still a bit wobbly in centre. Turn off oven and let cheesecake cool in oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Transfer from roasting pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Tip 1: Use cream cheese that comes in a block, not the spreadable kind, because the latter has less volume owing to the air that is whipped into it to make it easily spreadable. For this recipe, you need a more solid cream cheese.

Tip 2: When making cheesecake, avoid opening the oven door, as drafts can cause the cheesecake to crack.

Tip 3: Don't over-bake. Cheesecake is done when the edges are slightly puffed and the centre still appears a bit soft and moist. It will firm up on cooling. Run a thin-bladed knife around the outside edges of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan after removing from the oven, to prevent cracking as it cools and contracts.

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Potato may be the world's favourite vegetable

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